Ash and Maelstrom
by trulywicked
Summary: The god Apostolos takes Naruto under his wing bringing the Uzumaki into his rather complicated world.


**DISCLAIMER:** Masashi Kishimoto is the creator of Naruto and its characters. Sherrilyn Kenyon is the creator of the Dark-Hunter universe and all its characters. I do not own the Naruto series nor any characters or locations thereof. I do not own the Dark-Hunter book series nor any characters or locations thereof. I make no money at all from writing this fic. The only thing I gain from writing it is enjoyment.

Did you people get that? They are NOT MINE! I adore Acheron and Simi and the rest of the Dark-Hunter universe that the wonderful Sherrilyn Kenyon has created. She is the queen of the paranormal romance genre if you ask me, bow down before her awesomeness.

I also adore Naruto and it's characters that are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

All I'm doing here is blending two of my obsessions together and playing with the characters because I wondered what would happen. This is also a gift for **The Simi** also know as ash365 on Y gallery, also known as Acherona here on FFnet. She's been having a rough time lately so I hope this brings a smile to her face.

**WARNING:** There will be sex in this fic eventually. Man on man sex. Naruto will be banged by and will bang one of the male characters from the Dark-Hunter universe. There is also gonna be fluff of both the yaoi and het variety and violence blood and possibly gore. Don't like any of that? Don't read then. Absolutely NO flaming of the pairing.

I stress that this is **FAN**fiction. I am not a published author.

_'thoughts'_

emphasis

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A dark man named Acheron walked down the streets of Konoha. He gave off a very interesting aura, one of such sexy danger that women and men alike seemed almost desperate to touch but were too afraid to do so. He had long black hair with a single crimson streak falling beside his face. And what a face, sunglasses hid his eyes but the high cheekbones, full lips, strong jaw, and chiseled nose brought to mind a fallen battle angel. His body was lean, strong, and _damn_ tall, six foot eight if he was an inch. Said body was also obviously very well muscled, he looked as if he could take an Akatsuki down in a few seconds flat without breaking a sweat. He wore a red T-shirt that was emblazoned with a deathbat, an open black leather trench coat that looked as if it fastened with buckles, skin tight black leather pants, and combat boots that screamed 'mess with me and you'll get one of these shoved up a _very_ uncomfortable place', making the overall look one of total badass-ness.

As he looked up at the Hokage monument, the corner of his mouth quirked up. It had been a long time since he'd been in Konoha, the last time had been after Hashirama had been sworn in as Hokage. The man shook his head in amusement. Only Hashirama would have had the arrogance to put his face on a mountain and claim it was a way to mark who had earned the post of Hokage. From the look of it the village had continued with the idea, four other faces now graced the mountainside. Acheron remembered Hashirama's little brother, who had always been tripping after his nii-san's footsteps, and smiled sadly as he remembered the days he'd known of first Hashirama's death then the younger Senju brother's. His companion, Simi, had been quite concerned those days because she'd sensed his sorrow for the loss of his friends.

As Ash's gaze slid over the stone faces, the fourth in line caught his attention for some odd reason and he received a quick flash of a determined blond man in Hokage's robes on top of a giant toad, a huge demonic fox, and the wail of an infant. He cut the image off quickly, the last thing he needed was to see an infant die or suffer in a past he didn't need to mess with. He brought his gaze back to the streets and began walking towards the center of town. As he passed a food stand, a young woman with pink hair caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He turned to study the pinkette. She stood utterly still, with her hip cocked and her arms folded across her chest, her stance and aura screamed of a royally pissed off female. The anger in her aura ratcheted up a notch with the appearance of a dark haired boy her same age.

The boy had an aura of dark confusion that reminded Ash of one of his other friends. As the boy reached the pink haired girl, she shifted her stance, cocked her fist back and hissed, "You _bastard_," before hitting him so hard he flew several feet away and slammed into a building. Ash blinked, his only sign of surprise at the strength of that punch and continued to watch the proceedings curiously.

The girl stalked to the now dazed boy and hauled him up to slam him against the building, "How _dare_ you treat him like that! After everything he's done for you! I swear if your brother wouldn't have a cow I'd punch you so hard your head would come clean off your body Sasuke!"

The boy, now known as Sasuke, groaned from an obviously broken jaw, "I just told the moron the truth Sakura."

The pinkette, Sakura, slammed him into the wall again, "You _bastard_ he's kicked his own ass for you, hell he even risked his fucking _soul_ just so you could have one of your family back! He helped you get your revenge against the council elders, an act that could have gotten him executed! And when Kabuto was about to kill you using your brother's reanimated corpse he took the blow! Not only that but when Shinigami showed up to take Itachi back to the underworld he offered to let Shinigami take him instead as payment for bringing Itachi completely back to life so you wouldn't be alone! I thank heaven every day that Shinigami just wanted Kabuto's ass instead. I swear Sasuke if you hurt him one more time, I'll rip off your arms and shove one down your throat and the other up your ass so you can shake hands with yourself in your stomach!"

Ash almost chuckled at her creativity. Before she could slam Sasuke into the wall a third time, a man with long dark hair appeared behind her and took her wrists gently, murmuring into her ear so softly that only she and someone like Ash, with supersensitive hearing could hear what was spoken.

"Let him go love. He'll end up regretting his actions later, when it's too late to make amends."

The pinkette relaxed and dropped Sasuke, turning in the arms of the man holding her, "I'm just sick of him doing shit like this Itachi."

"I know," the now named Itachi kissed Sakura's forehead, "but for now you need to take it easy. Such excitement is not good for the baby."

Sakura huffed as another girl came running over to the injured Sasuke. The girl gasped and looked up at Sakura accusingly, "Sakura! How could you do this to him?"

"Don't even get me started Karin."

Ash, having seen the scene play out, walked away noticing that he drew the gazes of both the pinkette and her lover. He went past his original destination, heading instead for a small waterfall in the nearby forest. On the way he passed a training field and stopped short when he heard a fury and pain filled scream. He turned to face the source of the sound and stared in shock at the teenage boy that stood punching an upright log repeatedly.

Startlingly similar to the flash of the blond man he'd had earlier, this boy had blond hair that almost seemed to be solid sunshine and golden skin. Ash could glimpse blue eyes that rivaled tropical waters for depth and color but what gave the dark man pause was the aura that glowed from the boy. It shimmered with an innocence, purity, and strength that Ash had never before seen. If a Daimon were to see this boy they'd be salivating and almost desperate to suck him dry. Underneath the boy's own aura was another, one just as strong but immensely darker and bordering evil.

Ash scented blood and looked at the boy's hands, wincing as he saw the knuckles split open, showing bone and tendon. The tall man was beside the boy in a flash, holding his wrists and preventing him from further damaging his hands. The blond struggled, "Let me go!"

Ash just calmly subdued him, "No. You're going to cause yourself permanent damage."

A snort came from the blond, "I almost wish but trust me when I say, whatever I do to myself now will be healed by tomorrow."

Ash lifted one of the tanned hands and inspected the wound, "Injuries like this take weeks to heal boy."

The blond managed to wrest away from the tall man and take a few steps back, "Look I appreciate your concern, whoever you are, but I don't need your help. All I want right now is to beat myself to exhaustion and go home to pass out."

"Ash."

"Huh?"

"My name is Ash."

The blond folded his arms, wincing as his jacket pressed against his knuckles, "Uzumaki Naruto. Now what do you want?"

Ash found himself greatly amused by the blond's rudeness, "To help."

Naruto frowned in confusion, "Why?"

"Why not?"

"Most around here hate my guts and would rather spit on me than help me so what makes you want to help me?"

Ash frowned at that statement, it brought back a few bad memories, and reached out to _see_ the boys past. It slammed into his mind with the force of a freight train and had him staggering back. He was dimly aware of Simi leaving her usual place on his body, feeling as if he were in danger and the boy calling out in concern, "Hey are you okay?"

Images of abuse, hatred, and pain flashed through Ash's mind like lightening a few pleasant moments interspersed through the horrid. Ash hissed as he finally came to his meeting the blond and reached for the boy's future only to slam into a brick wall. _'Shit.'_ Ash sighed in resignation and focused his sight to the present again. What met his eyes was Simi and Naruto eying each other warily. Simi frowned and put her hands on her hips, "What'd you do to the Simi's Akri?"

Naruto glared at the bat-winged woman, "I didn't _do_ anything! His head just snapped back like someone had hit him and then _you_ appeared and snarled at me!"

Simi flapped her wings in agitation, "Akri don't get hit. Akri's too strong."

Ash cleared his throat, "Simi it's okay."

The demon woman whirled and dashed to him, "Akri! You scared the Simi!"

She grabbed him in a fierce hug and he wrapped an arm around her, petting her hair, "Sorry Simi."

Naruto felt a small twinge of envy at the affectionate sight but shook it off to take a single step forward, "Hey you alright? What the hell was that anyway?"

Ash looked at the boy, "I'm fine. I took a look at your past but it hit me harder than I expected."

"Looked at my past?"

"Your life, from birth to now. I saw it all."

Naruto stepped back warily an expression of fear crossing his face and looking like he would take flight at the slightest movement from Ash. The man spoke gently, "It's alright. I'm not a villager who can't tell the difference between a blond teenager and a giant fox."

Naruto relaxed slightly, "How can you see my past?"

"That, is a long story," Ash let go of Simi and walked over to Naruto, taking his hands and healing the knuckles in an instant. Naruto looked down at his hands curiously then back up to Ash, "Well I've got time," just then the blond's stomach let out a loud rumble in protest of not being fed yet. Ask chuckled at the blush that dusted across Naruto's cheeks, "Well if you know of a good restaurant then we'll talk there."

Naruto grinned, "If you like ramen I know the best restaurant in the world."

"Lead the way then."

Naruto turned to start walking then paused to look back at Ash and Simi, "Um could your...is she your daughter?"

Ash blinked and Simi beamed, "Yup Akri is the Simi's daddy. You pretty smart for a shortie."

Naruto winced, "Can we please not bring up my height?"

Simi patted Naruto's head like she would a puppy, "Okay, what'd you wanna ask about the Simi?"

"Oh right. Um...is there a way for you hide your wings?"

"How come?"

Naruto kicked at the dirt, "Well...the villagers kinda freak out when they see someone different from them and I sorta don't want them throwing stuff at you."

Simi snorted, "Any peoples throw stuff at the Simi and I'll get my barbecue sauce and have stupid peoples roast."

Naruto's eyes got really wide and he looked at Ash, "Is she saying that she'll _eat_ them?"

Ash sighed, "Yes."

The blond looked back at Simi, "You can't! They're prejudiced and mean sometimes but they have people who love them. You'd be taking someone's mom or dad or sibling or spouse away from them."

Simi looked down at the blond in surprise and bent down to look Naruto in the eye, "They mean to you?"

Naruto looked down and muttered quietly, "Some are but there's a lot of good people too."

Ash smiled as Simi processed the boy's words and made her wings and horns disappear then hugged Naruto, "You remind the Simi of her Akri."

Naruto froze then pat Simi on the back, "Um okay?"

Simi let the blond go, "So what's for eating?"

Naruto took note of her lack of wings and smiled brightly before impulsively taking her hand, "C'mon, Ichiraku awaits!"

Ash followed them as a sedate pace, highly amused when Simi hissed at a few villagers who glared or snarled at Naruto. He sighed as he remembered that he'd been unable to read Naruto's future, something that only happened when someone became or would become important to Ash. Having seen the boy's past and knowing of the people after him for the destructive power of the demon sealed within Ash knew that he wouldn't be able to just walk away without being assured that the boy could protect himself. That meant he'd have to train the boy and _that_ meant he'd be in close proximity to a boy that it appeared to be impossible not to care about. Ash shook his head in resignation and decided to hope that he could keep Naruto out of the way of the gods that loved to fuck around with Ash's life.

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They entered Ichiraku and Naruto called out, "Oi old man!"

A pair of chop sticks were flung at Naruto and the boy caught them easily as the cook glared at him with his hands on his hips, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that hmm? You really should show your elders more respect Naruto."

Naruto laughed, "You'd think I'd been replaced with a pod person old man."

Teuchi shook his head and chuckled, "So who are your friends Naruto?"

"Old man this is Ash and Simi-chan. Guys this is the best ramen chef in the world. His name is actually Teuchi but I never call him by name."

The cook shot Naruto a look of fond exasperation then smiled, "Welcome to Ichiraku. What can I get for you?"

Ash waited until Simi and Naruto were seated then perched himself on a stool next to Simi, "I'll just have some warm sake but get them whatever they want on me."

Teuchi raised an eyebrow, "You sure about that? Naruto'll eat a hole through your wallet."

"Hey!"

Ash laughed, "Trust me Teuchi-san there is _nothing_ that can eat enough to bankrupt me."

Teuchi shrugged and hollered to the back, "Get ready for a big order Ayame!"

A girl poked her head out of the back and beamed delightedly when she saw the blond teen, "Naruto-kun how are you?"

"I'm okay Ayame-nee-chan. What about you?"

"Oh I'm doing wonderfully. How is Kakashi-kun doing?"

"He's the same as always."

"Well please do tell him that he's welcome here anytime."

Naruto grinned, "You got it Ayame-nee-chan."

The girl took out a pad, "Now what can I get for you today Naruto-kun?"

Naruto glanced over at Ash, "Um you sure about paying? I really can eat a lot."

Ash nodded, "Order as much as you like Naruto. Believe me Simi will eat at least twice as much as you."

Both Teuchi and Ayame looked between Naruto and the delicate young woman perusing the menu incredulously. Naruto just shrugged and said, "Okay then. Ayame-nee-chan I'll have three bowls each of miso, beef, chicken, and barbecue pork to start with."

Ayame nodded and just noted it down on her pad then turned to Simi, "And for you miss?"

"The Simi will have five of everything on your menu please."

Ayame dropped the pad, Teuchi gawked in shock, Naruto looked at Simi in curiosity, and Ash chuckled softly at their reactions to Simi's casual announcement. Then Ayame bent down to pick up the pad and Teuchi went to the back to start working on the order. Naruto turned back to Ash and said, "So how can you see what's happened in my life?"

Ash poured himself some sake and began to give the blond a highly edited version of his own situation while Teuchi and Ayame were out of earshot.

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Many many bowls of ramen later, Teuchi and Ayame had run out of ingredients, given Naruto the keys to lock up the store, and Naruto was gaping at Ash in amazement, "So you're a ten thousand year old guy who leads a bunch of immortal guys, who sold their souls to a goddess for an act of vengeance, you read minds, see the future, and hunt nasty soul-sucking bad guys along with demons that make Kyuubi look like a fluffy bunny?"

Ash's lips twitched, "That's the summarized version."

Naruto fiddled with his chopsticks, "And Simi-chan is actually a demon who can take different forms but she's more like your daughter than anything else."

Ash nodded and Naruto sat back and blew out a breath, "Damn, your life must be one pain in the ass after another."

"Kid you have no idea."

Simi giggled and pat Naruto on the head again, "The Simi likes you. Akri can the Simi keep him?"

Ash sighed and shook his head, "No Simi."

"Aw how come?"

"Because he's human and-"

"Yeah yeah and we don't interfere with human free will and blah blah blah."

Naruto laughed delightedly and stood up, "Simi-chan you may not be able to keep me but you can be my friend if you want."

"Of course the Simi will be your friend silly."

He grinned happily, "Well I'd better close the shop up for Teuchi and Ayame-nee-chan," he started to gather the empty bowls up to wash them but Ash held out a hand and in an instant the entire shop was sparkling clean. Naruto stood gape-mouthed, "Whoa that's _got_ to come in handy a lot."

Ash just couldn't help himself, he laughed and ruffled the blond's hair. Naruto jolted almost imperceptibly and Ash's eyes clouded a bit at the blond's instinctive fear of touch and he let his hand drop. Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Heh sorry you surprised me."

The man smiled down at him, "It's okay."

The little group walked out of the stand, Naruto locking it up. The blond looked up at the Ash, "Where are you guys staying?"

"I hadn't planned that far ahead. Where would you suggest we stay?"

Naruto scrunched up his nose as he considered, "Mmm probably the hotel next to the Hokage Tower but it's pretty expensive."

Ash chuckled, "Money isn't an object Naruto."

"Kay then, I'll show you to the hotel."

Ash fell into step behind Naruto and Simi, who was thoroughly enjoying Naruto's non-linear chatter. Along the way they passed a sweets shop and Naruto stopped when he heard someone call his name. He turned and a smile lit up his face as Sakura came out of the shop and made her way over to him, "Naruto!"

"Hey Sakura-chan. How are you feeling? Everything okay?"

The pinkette chuckled, "I swear Naruto, you're worse than Itachi. I'm fine."

Naruto shrugged, "Well you're like my sister so I feel duty bound to make sure you and the podling are doing okay."

She flicked his forehead, "Yeah I love you too you dork," she glanced over at Ash and Simi suspiciously, "Who are your friends?"

"Simi-chan, Ash, meet my teammate, and Konoha's best medic, Uchiha, formerly Haruno, Sakura. Sakura-chan this is Ash and his daughter Simi, they're visiting the area."

Sakura bowed cautiously, "Pleased to meet you."

Ash inclined his head, "And you."

"So what brings you to the area?"

"An old friend of mine used to live here."

"And?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, "And what Uchiha-san?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed and her fists clenched but before she could explode Naruto tilted his head, "Whoa Sakura-chan what's with the third degree?"

She opened her mouth but was interrupted by a smooth voice, "Koishi you aren't getting over-excited again are you?"

Ash turned to see the man who had stopped Sakura from pounding Sasuke into a pulp walking up to them. Naruto grinned, "Hey Ita-nii."

Itachi looked pained, "Naruto-kun how many times must I request that you refrain from calling me that?"

"Until I listen?"

"Hn," Itachi inspected Ash and Simi then held his hand out, "Uchiha Itachi."

Ash grasped the mans hand, controlling his wince when flashes from Itachi's past played in his own head, "Ash, this is my daughter Simi."

Itachi nodded, "Are you visiting your old friend?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked up at Ash, "Ita-nii has ears like a damned bat, I wouldn't be surprised if he's been eavesdropping this entire time."

Ash smiled down at the blond, "It's no problem Naruto, I understand his desire to protect those important to him," he looked back at Itachi, "To answer your question, no I am not visiting my friend, he died some years ago. I came to pay my respects."

"I see. I'm certain his family will appreciate that."

"As far as I am aware Uchiha-san, he only has one relative left alive, a granddaughter."

"Really, it is not often that one young as you befriends one old enough to have a grandchild."

Ash's smile was all teeth and sharp edges, "Why don't you ask what you want to know Uchiha-san."

Itachi narrowed his eyes and rolled to the balls of his feet, "Very well, what are you? No mere visiting traveler has such a chakra signature as you."

Simi growled under her breath and Sakura shifted to a battle ready stance as Ash's cheeks mottled with irritation but before the situation could reach critical mass, Naruto stepped between Ash and Itachi, pinning the Uchiha heir with a look, "Itachi back off. He's not here to cause trouble and I don't appreciate you acting like I'm stupid enough to trust someone who is a danger to Konoha."

Itachi rocked back onto his heels, knowing that he had to choose his next words cautiously to avoid hurting the blond, which would piss his wife off, "I do not think you are stupid Naruto especially not when it comes to people's characters but even you can get fooled from time to time and we do not know what he is or if he is even human."

Ash studied Naruto, taking in the protective stance, the narrowed eyes, and the latent commanding presence as the blond spoke in a low tone, "_You_ may not know Itachi but _I_ do and that should be enough for you."

And just like that, Itachi knew that he was beat. If he continued to protest he would be insulting Naruto, which would hurt the blond's already fragile emotional state, which would in turn piss his wife off to the point that, if she didn't kill him, she'd have him sleeping on the couch until doomsday. The Uchiha heir sighed, "Very well Naruto."

The blond relaxed and moved back to stand next to Simi. Sakura was biting her lip and she laid a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Can I ask you a favor Naruto?"

"What is it?"

"You know I trust you and your instincts but for my peace of mind, if your new friends would agree to it, would you at least make Tsunade-shishou aware of their presence in Konoha?"

Naruto smiled ironically, "You're really good at that you know Sakura-chan? Alright but only if it's okay with Ash and Simi," he looked questioningly at the two as he said their names.

Ash nodded, "I don't see a problem with that."

The blond shot Sakura a look, "Happy now?"

She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Very, now is there anything you need before Itachi and I head home?"

Bright blue eyes rolled, "Sakura-chan I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself you know but thanks for caring."

The pinkette waved her hand dismissively, "You're my friend Naruto, it's my job to care about you."

Itachi nodded in agreement, "You are important to us Naruto and we wish to be available to you if you need us."

The blond smiled brightly, "Thanks guys but I'm fine. Now go home and let Itachi pamper you Sakura-chan."

She chuckled, "Alright we're going. See you soon."

Naruto nodded as Itachi and Sakura disappeared in a puff of smoke. He began leading Ash and Simi to the hotel again, "Sorry about Sakura-chan and Itachi interrogating you guys."

Ash shook his head, "You don't have to apologize. It's a gift to have someone willing to watch your back."

A content smile touched Naruto's lips, "Yeah I know. I'm really, really lucky to have Sakura-chan and my other friends. I'd do anything to protect them."

Ash had to smile at that, the boy's loyalty and obvious affection for his friends as well as the utter certainty he had in their loyalty to him was endearing and rather inspiring, considering how rough the boy's early years had been.

They passed the Hokage Tower and Ash's smile faded a bit as he remembered that the last time he'd been here construction on the tower had just been started and he'd been saying farewell to Hashirama and Tobirama.

Naruto glanced back at the hugely tall man, pausing in his stride, "Hey you okay?"

The man looked back to the blond, blinking at the concern in the bright blue gaze. He nodded, "Yes, I just remembered something."

The golden blond head tilted in curiosity but he kept quiet. If Ash wanted to share his thoughts then he would. He could easily tell that the imposing man was the type that if he didn't want you to know something, you wouldn't find out.

They came to the hotel and Naruto turned to face his new friends, "Kay this is the hotel. I'll be by around eight am tomorrow. It's best that we get some of Baa-chan's time before she breaks out the sake."

Simi grinned and gave him a rib-cracking hug, "The Simi will see you tomorrow."

When she released him he returned her grin and rubbed the back of his head, "So uh I'd better go and get some rest."

Ash nodded, "We'll see you in the morning."

Naruto grinned and dashed off waving at them cheerfully until he got out of sight. The corner of Ash's mouth kicked up in amusement as he wondered how Tsunade would react to seeing him again. The last time she'd been eight years old and had found his hair utterly fascinating. One thing about true kunoichi he appreciated was the fact that they didn't seek his bed and attention like civilian women. Kunoichi were much more controlled than your average woman so he wouldn't have to worry about Tsunade jumping him, thank the gods for small favors. Simi tilted her head, "Akri they gots QVC on the television here?"

Ash chuckled, "Yes they do."

"Can the Simi have her plastic then?"

"As soon as we get a room."

She grabbed his arm, "C'mon then Akri, the Simi wants her Diamonique."

Ash's laughter echoed in the street as the Charonte pulled him into the hotel lobby.

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Okay there it is. Hope you enjoyed it. Bye now.


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